Quality is far more important than quantity. There is an infinite number of plants in the world, yet one flower is equivalent to all the still matter in the universe.

One animal is equivalent to all the plants in the world. One person is equivalent to the rest of nature. This is how the difference between the degrees that are separated by an abyss is manifested.

If all the stones in the universe were gathered together, it would be impossible to grow even a single flower from them. For a flower contains life, that is, development, which does not exist in still matter.

The development of a human being, however, is completely unique and incomprehensible to the ordinary view. It would seem that each person possesses only a very small force, yet it is of an extremely high quality.

Therefore, an event such as a congress, our connection, gives tremendous strength. What are all the stars in the universe compared to a single human thought?

Today, scientists are discovering that our thoughts influence physical processes, the behavior of elementary particles in the collider. In fact, our thoughts govern all the stars, the entire vegetative and animate nature. All of this is the consequence of a person’s attitude, thoughts, and desires.

Therefore, it is said that all the parts of nature are included within the human being, and that there is nothing in nature that we need to correct except our thoughts. By doing this, we correct the entire world.

The light enters this world through the system called “Adam” (Man), for it is above everything else, and the light spreads from above downward. To the extent that this system is connected or, conversely, divided, that is, corrected or corrupted, to that extent the light passes to all the other parts: the still, vegetative, and animate, and it determines how we perceive the world.

Therefore, it is said that all of nature is included within the human being and rises and falls together with him. If I ascend and attain a greater connection with others, thereby correcting the common soul, then through me a stronger light passes to all of nature, and it too becomes connected in greater harmony.

I am the center of all this nature, and around me are the still, vegetative, and animate levels, and I determine their correction. When I complete my correction, they disappear and join me, for they are all my own parts—my reflection.
[9809]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/10/10, Baal HaSulam “Introduction to The Book of Zohar”

Related Material:
All Of The People In One Infinite Circle
Search For The Creator Within The Creatures
Now It Is Their Time!

Filed under: Conventions, Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Events, Perception - No Comments →

“And a certain man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the field. And the man asked him, saying, ‘What are you seeking?’ And he said, ‘I seek my brothers. Tell me, I pray you, where they are feeding the flock?’

A man “wandering in the field” refers to a place from which the crop of the field to sustain the world should spring (Rabash, “Love of Friends – 1“).

The Torah is the teaching, the method, that explains the entire process we must go through, from here until the end of correction. So where do we begin building the spiritual vessel and entering the spiritual world?

Here it speaks about Joseph, who gathers (Osef) all the previous qualities of his brothers, and through this discovers that he is in Egypt, that is, within the evil inclination.

I feel that I am opposite to the spiritual world and unworthy of it. Moreover, I have no desire whatsoever to enter it, this is what my inner qualities “tell” me. This realization must come. But on the other hand, we already know that if we break down the barriers between us and unite, then within our unity we will immediately begin to feel the spiritual world.

Thus, the Torah explains to us the process of developing our common vessel, which at this stage is called Joseph. He is “wandering in the field,” not knowing how to reach spirituality. Before him lies an empty expanse, and he does not know which way to go.

And the works of the field are plowing, sowing, and reaping. It is said about that: “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy,” and this is called “a field which the Lord has blessed.”

A person must be ready for the plowing, the sowing, and the reaping, that is, for working with his desire. For desire (Ratzon) is the land (Eretz), or that very field, which must be plowed and sown with the seeds of bestowal, Bina, so that Bina may enter Malchut. There it begins to grow by means of Malchut’s desire, producing sprouts, the harvest that we will later reap.

Thus, the person called Israel, one who is directed straight to the Creator, enters Egypt and discovers a great egoistic desire within himself. It is precisely then, when he sees that this desire rules over him, that he exerts himself toward unity and, through prayer and a cry for help, escapes from Pharaoh.

Why is this descent into egoism necessary? It is o that we may come out of it. Just as we place seeds into the earth so that, through the earth, they may sprout and blossom. It is thanks to the earth, meaning the egoistic desire, that the tiny seed of bestowal, the altruistic desire, begins to grow. It emerges precisely from the earth.

When the spark of bestowal, the point in the heart, awakens within us, it brings us to the wisdom of Kabbalah. We begin to study, we join a group, and suddenly discover how bad everything is, how many obstacles arise along the way. The evil grows stronger and stronger until we are completely submerged in it. Then, with our last ounce of strength, we struggle to overcome it and escape. And we flee, taking with us the great desire to receive that we acquired in Egypt.

This is how the seed of bestowal sprouts: We rise above the earth, taking the corrupted desires with us, and then begin to correct them.

This process is accompanied by joy and sorrow, by the hardening of the heart, failures, and difficulties. Yet it is precisely through despair that we draw near to the exodus. And that exodus is found in unity. No one comes out alone, only together.
[71452]
From the International Kabbalah Congress 2/24/12, “Arava,” Lesson 3

Related Material:
The Inner Work Of A Kabbalist: “Love Of Friends” – 5.24.10
The Covenant Of Friends
The Group Is a Part of My Soul

Filed under: Conventions, Events, Group Work, Spiritual Work - No Comments →

Each one should try to bring into the society a spirit of life and hopefulness, and infuse energy into the society.

…before he came to the society, he was disappointed with the progress in the work of the Creator… because of his own weakness and lack of aspiration.

But upon entering the group, he must feel there a “raging fire” burning within him and drawing him into the group, which influences him without asking his permission, because he is unable to withstand the influence of the friends.

…but now the society has filled him with life and hopefulness. Thus, through the society, he obtained the confidence and strength to overcome because now he feels that he can achieve wholeness (Rabash, “What to Look for in the Assembly of Friends“).

If such a spirit does not exist within the group, there is no hope of attaining anything. In Article 225, “Raising Oneself,” from the book Shamati, it is written: One cannot raise oneself above one’s circle, from his environment. Everyone advances only together with the group. If I do not pass a good mood on to the group, I will not have it either. If I do not want the group to advance, neither will I advance, because we will not create a common desire, a Kli.

The more we speak about this, compelling ourselves to understand it ever more deeply, the more clearly we begin to discern the spiritual reality, one that is hateful to us, opposite to our nature, and undesirable; yet, it is the true reality. Then we will begin to see it as truly important and exalted.

But the main thing is, despite how unpleasant it may seem, to give every spiritual action and every spiritual state its true definition—it is bestowal and love of the neighbor within the group, unity for the attainment of the Creator, the force of our common bestowal and love.
[41828]
From the World Kabbalah Congress, “We,” New Jersey 3/7-8/11, Lesson 8

Related Material:
The Law of Spiritual Ascent
Give My Desires Back To Me
I Suggest You “Join The Good”!

Filed under: Conventions, Events, Group Work, Spiritual Work - No Comments →

Question: You say that only from unity, from connection, can anything of real value come. People ask you: “What is unity? What is connection?” You seem to explain it, but you do not answer the question directly.

Answer: How is that? I answer directly! I perceive unity clearly; I am in it right now! From this state, the closest one to you, I explain what it means.

But there is a difference between the very first, the lowest state of connection, of mutual guarantee, and the one in which you are.

If I cross this barrier toward you, then I will be like you and will not be able to explain anything. I descend from the degree I am on to the very lowest spiritual degree, and from it, I try to explain to you, who are still lower, what this lowest spiritual degree is. I cannot descend any lower.

Question: What must happen for us to hear you?

Answer: You must generate a profound desire to experience unity.

Question: You speak about mutual guarantee, the power of unity, connection, and all this is, in principle, seems to circle around the same thing, perhaps with slightly different nuances. Recently, you said something concrete: “Think in this specific way and act in that particular way.” That resonates more clearly with people. But will this really work in practice? These things like: smile at each other and treat each other with kindness?

Answer: It depends entirely on your implementation and on nothing else, absolutely nothing else!

You must want it! You must want it a little bit more. And this “wanting it a little bit more” can be achieved through mutual assistance. It is precisely within that small added increment, within the mutual help that you can give each other, that you will attain the shared sensation of mutual guarantee in which the Creator will be revealed.

I explain everything in terms that are absolutely accessible! All that is required is to actually do it. At the very least to start, but I do not see any starting taking place.

Question: So how does one go about starting?

Answer: You need to map out all these actions in writing.

How is any business enterprise built? It begins with general plans and discussions, followed by more concrete details. Then come the development phases, various forms of research, an analysis of the dependencies involved, and so on. But the crucial step to is commence the serious work.

Question: Suppose everyone gathers together and, as it often happens at conventions, feels an intense collective desire for this to happen, will it actually happen?

Answer: Yes, it can happen at a convention, but it is a temporary state, a fleeting desire. Consequently what you will experience is a temporary sensation, a momentary illumination or revelation, rather than a permanent one.

To attain something permanent, you must engage in work, you must cultivate a constant desire within yourself, an aspiration that continuously accumulates. It builds up steadily until it becomes palpable, firm, and deeply ingrained within your very being.
[354349]
From KabTV’s “I Got A Call. Useless and Worthless People in the Group” 9/26/10

Related Material:
Unity Now and Forever
Unity Is A New Reality
Toward a Sense of Unity

Filed under: Conventions, Events, Group Work, Q&A, Spiritual Work - No Comments →

It is written: “Work for the Creator in joy.” If there is no joy, it is a sign that we are not in spirituality. Bestowal is impossible without joy.

It is written in the The Book of Zohar that the Shechina dwells only in a perfect place: not in a place of lack, not in a place of defect, not in a place of sadness, but in the proper place, in a place of joy. In a corrected place there is an illumination from the presence of the Creator, and this brings joy to a person.

By this criterion, one can always determine whether a person is in spirituality or not. When a person first begins to study, for a long time one does not yet sense the corrections taking place within them, or they may perceive them in an inverted form; therefore, they may experience despondency or irritation and find themselves at odds with the changes happening within them.

Here joy is a very clear indicator. If a person does not feel joy, it means that his desires do not correspond to the Creator but oppose Him. As the desire is corrected, joy is revealed within a person. And the stronger and deeper the joy, the more the upper light is revealed, the presence of the Creator, the Shechina.

If the upper force is preparing to reveal itself within a person, then first joy is revealed and only afterward the Creator. Joy is an illumination from above, a special force of the light that appears in response to prayer, to a request to the Creator from below. When we turn to the Creator with questions and requests and want to connect with Him, in response we receive light from above that corrects our desires and fills them.

This light first brings joy, and only afterward all the other revelations. Therefore, the Shechina (the presence of the Creator) is revealed only in joy, which appears first.

If I want to attain bestowal, I must always be in joy. And if it is absent, I must examine myself to see where uncorrected egoism remains within me that prevents me from revealing the Creator. We do not know whether we are approaching the revelation of the Creator, and therefore Kabbalists give us a criterion for checking: Am I approaching joy, or, on the contrary, moving away from it with each day?

By these movements toward greater or lesser joy, one can judge how much one is approaching the revelation of the upper force or distancing from it because joy is the result of “good deeds,” that is, corrections.

In any state one must hold on to joy, because “there is none else besides the Creator”; everything comes from Him. No one can do something bad to us without the Creator’s knowledge or consent. That never happens; everything comes from above. Behind every person stands the Creator exerting His influence on us through this theater of “reality.”

If I do not have an egoistic intention to receive, I will always be in joy. It does not matter to me what the Creator gives me; the main thing is that He constantly takes care of me. I do not weigh what is more pleasant or beneficial for me in my egoism; therefore, I accept everything with joy.

By this criterion, we can evaluate ourselves: Are advancing as a group toward correction and the revelation of the Creator? Are we setting an example to the friends that we must always be in joy in order to bring the revelation of the upper force ever closer?

Joy is a consequence of my act of bestowal, of bestowing to the friends, to the Creator, and to humanity. Joy is the result of bestowal because by bestowing I become similar to the Creator. Therefore, through this action I receive an illumination that is called “joy.”

Spiritual joy comes from the fact that through my actions I help the Creator fill all of creation. Joy is the result of the fact that, with the help of the Creator, I fill all of creation and thereby bring Him pleasure.
[246546]
From the International Kabbalah Convention 5/18/19, Mexico, Lesson 5

Related Material:
With Joy
Work In Joy
The Lack Of Joy

Filed under: Conventions, Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Events, Spiritual Work - No Comments →

What characterizes this world that is distinctive compared to the spiritual world? From the Machsom and above, there is revelation, light. From the Machsom and below, there is the opposite: darkness, concealment. Accordingly, even if I experience a descent above the Machsom, I perceive it differently because this descent takes place within lights, within revelation.

Conversely, in our world, if you are in darkness now, devoid of any spiritual sensation, you can nevertheless be in high spirits and filled with a desire to study and advance, or you can, on the contrary, be in a state of an absence of desires, when everything is bland and you do not want anything.

In such a case, you may perhaps wait until enough time passes for some help to come from above, so that you will be pulled back up and granted an awakening. But this is undesirable, because it can drag out and lengthen the path m any times over.

It is possible that a person is sent a descent not so that he will wait until it ends, but so that he will by force subject himself to the influence of the society that is on a higher level, and then the work will quickly be done on him, and he will come out of the descent. Society will save him.

So, here, in the darkness, we have two states: double concealment and single concealment.

While in single concealment, we feel that there is something above us. Apparently, there is the Creator who is the cause of everything. Even misfortunes are sent to me by Him, and this supports me: I depend on something and, one way or another, still justify reality. I, in some way, justify the blows: if someone sends them, it means someone is arranging all this.

In contrast, when in double concealment, I feel nothing but nature. There is no master, and there is no justification for my existence. I am not permitted the simple oblivion of an animal that does not reflect on life. I do reflect on life, and therefore, I am in double concealment.

Single or double concealment is a person’s inner sensation, not a natural phenomenon. Therefore, the descents and ascents in our states while we are “in Egypt,” prior to the Machsom, and “sighing from the work” because the burden is indeed hard for us do not persist in the same form once we have crossed the Machsom.

There, even while in darkness, in the Klipot, a person knows and perceives that these are indeed Klipot standing in opposition to holiness, and that it is through them that one goes to the upper. Through the Klipot one constantly establishes contact with the Creator by using them as auxiliary means.

There the Klipot are intentions, thoughts for the sake of reception, whereas holiness is the intention for the sake of bestowal. Between these two polar states, there is a constant war. Here, before the Machsom, we are all in the will to receive for our own sake.

After the Machsom, everything is different. But until then do everything that you are capable of doing. And everything that we organize here stems from simple necessity: alone, without including oneself in others, a person can fall, and no one will save him. Therefore, a person must immediately submit himself to the influence of the group. Otherwise, the journey will stretch not for years, but for incarnations.

Therefore, it is necessary to quickly drive yourself into the group, into a certain schedule, into some obligations, to resort to all kinds of tricks, so that in case of a fall, they will put pressure on me and oblige me to continue the path. This is a duty.

A spiritual descent that might otherwise last several months can, with the help of society, be reduced to several hours or minutes. Moreover, it is not only a question of time, because when you come out of a fall with the help of the group, you acquire such qualities and internal attributes that will allow you to bypass several more falls.

If, however, you come out on your own, you still do not acquire the necessary experience and will have to go down again and again. Emerging with the help of the collective adds the experience of your friends to you since you unite with them, and it replaces many additional falls. This is a very great saving in terms of time and the number of falls.
[354972]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/1/26, Rabash, “Why the Festival of Matzot Is Called Passover”

Related Material:
Before and After the Machsom
Commandments Before and After the Machsom
Crossing Machsom

Filed under: Conventions, Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Events, Spiritual Work - No Comments →

In the article “On the Night of the Bride” (Introduction of The Book of Zohar), it is said that the law (a condition of the spiritual order) is such that the creature cannot perceive the Creator openly if it is in a state or quality opposite to Him.

Therefore, only in equivalence of qualities with the Creator can we perceive Him, in those qualities in which we are similar to Him in quantity and quality. For it is a flaw in the glory of the Creator for the creature to perceive Him as an evildoer, and the created being would no longer be able to remain connected with Him.

For this reason, the Creator acts in concealment. He must awaken negative states within us, yet we do not feel that they come from Him. Although naturally, “there is none else besides Him,” and only He does this. As it is said: “Who makes darkness and creates light.”

We must feel the darkness more and more. It must constantly be revealed within us so that we can correct it and reveal the light, the Creator, in its place.

Thus, our work always consists of concealment and revelation, concealment and revelation. The concealment of the Creator produces darkness; revelation produces light. These two states must necessarily alternate. Our awareness must be directed toward the understanding that both states are good, that they come from love and are directed precisely toward us so that we may attain perfection.

If a person is not prepared, then the state of the Creator’s concealment is felt by him as darkness and evil, as if the Creator is hiding from him. This is the greatest punishment in the world.

Thus, His guidance of good and evil has been prescribed for us, with guidance of reward and punishment. One who makes efforts not to lose faith in the Creator, that is, in every situation, whatever may happen, if I try to constantly direct myself to the thought that everything happening now with me, within me, outside me, and in the whole world is the Creator’s governance, and I try to remain in this awareness despite feeling unpleasant states, then I attain the reward: eventually the Creator is revealed to me.

But if I do not wish to constantly hold myself in the thought that everything comes from the Creator, that everything around me is only the Creator, who through friends, through strangers, through those close to me, through anyone and in any way, through billions of different influences upon me, is playing with me, then in the end He disappears from my feelings, and I part with faith in the Creator, with the feeling of Him.

Only the ten can keep each of us in constant faith in the Creator, in a constant direction toward Him, in constant connection with Him, in the constant thought that everything comes from the Creator: He does everything, He governs me, and even my thoughts about Him are also from Him.

That is, whether I want or do not want to be connected with Him, this too comes from Him. And it does not matter whether my thoughts are good or bad, whether my actions are good or bad. The main thing is that I attribute them to Him. This is the most important thing.
[253950]
From the International Kabbalah Convention 9/7/19, Moldova, Lesson 4

Related Material:
Darkness is the Beginning of a New Degree
The Building Blocks Of Light And Darkness
“Light” And “Darkness” From A Kabbalistic Point Of View

Filed under: Conventions, Events, Spiritual Work - No Comments →

We were given the path of faith, which is above reason (Rabash, “The Meaning of Truth and Faith”).

Reason is what we feel and understand, whereas faith is what we must rise to and accept above reason. Namely not to take our sensations and reason into account when we sense whether something is good or bad for us, but instead accept that the Creator knows better what is good for us and what is not.

For example, in our world we go to a doctor. Personally, I am very afraid of injections. I have undergone many operations and have been cut many times, yet I am still afraid. Any form of correction or healing is done upon living flesh. We must strive to reach a state in which we can endure any changes, any corrections, joyfully and without pain.

When the Creator begins to heal us, it will be pleasant, joyful, and sweet for us that this is happening to us, provided that we perceive the importance of the goal as greater than the importance of our animal body.

This has been absolutely verified; it is completely certain!

If a person connects to the goal, then it does not matter what sufferings pass through the body because he will not feel them as suffering at all, but only as joy. This is not masochism; it is simply a law of nature, because thought is higher than desire, higher than the flesh.
[254049]
From the International Kabbalah Convention 9/7/19, Moldova, Lesson 4

Related Material:
Fall Into Reason And Rise Into Faith
Be Thankful For Suffering?
Under The Power Of The Environment

Filed under: Conventions, Events, Spiritual Work - No Comments →

A wonderful group gathered here at a congress, united by a huge, colossal unity with the light inside.

And although it escapes our comprehension, in reality nothing is wasted. You just need to dive inside, to your point in the heart and want to unite with other points. Then I will see that the light reigns between us and we are all united internally.

That is what we have to reveal. This, in fact, is the realization of the science of Kabbalah. Everything that we study, the worlds, the Partzufim, the Sefirot, is a connection that we reveal. When we enter our inner unity, then the measures of connection between us and the measures of disclosure and concealment of light make up the spiritual world.

Our relationship is divided into five levels: Assiya, Yetzira, Beria, Atzilut, and Adam Kadmon, up to a total, perfect connection called the “world of Infinity” where there is no limit to our relationship. And these levels, in turn, are divided into Partzufim and Sefirot. In the end, it is only there that we reveal what is written in the Torah, and in general, in all Kabbalistic books.

We have nowhere to run. We just need to constantly focus on the inner, deep level where we are interconnected. It all depends on everyone’s attentiveness: let the person not give up this aspiration.

That is where the big problem lies: How can we step inside, dive in again and again, until we reach this level, until we feel it between us, until we catch the waves of our interconnection, which will begin to connect each of us to the common system. Where can we get the power of desire, attention, empathy, and sensitivity?

Here, again, I need an environment. I can’t hold myself together for more than a moment alone. I can try, apply my mind and feeling, dive inside, want to be there, and hold on with my teeth, but in a second everything disappears.

Only the friends, who are already two million around the world, will help. Everyone should think about everyone, because they depend on everyone, and then I will help myself through others. That is not what I’m incapable of. But if I think about everyone, so that they think about it too and go to the same thing, then the common force, the common thought that I send to everyone will do its job, even if they don’t hear me.

Even if I only think about it quietly to myself, my desire for their benefit, which is called the “prayer of many,” it returns to me and helps me stay on the inner level, sinking deeper.

And therefore, working as a group, we should not disperse in different directions. You just need to focus on this inner point: how to keep ourselves in the deep layers of the group where we are united with each other. This applies equally to men and women.

The external must also be put at the service of the internal. As Baal HaSulam and Rabash write, we must talk about the importance of the goal, the importance of friends, and the importance of the group. After all, it gives me inspiration, confidence, and assurance so that I can get closer and closer to my inner level, until it opens up. And then I will feel that I have entered the inner, spiritual world.

Therefore, there is a law: “May man help his neighbor.” Only with mutual support will each of us be able to achieve spirituality. No one will ever be able to do it alone.
[39653]
From the International Kabbalah Convention 4/1/11, “We,” Lesson 3

Related Material:
Tune Yourself To The Delicate Frequency Of The Soul
The Beckoning Light Of The Future
Infinitely Inward

Filed under: Conventions, Events, Group Work, Spiritual Work - No Comments →

The essence of the assembly is for everyone to be in one unity and for all to seek but one purpose: to find the Creator. In every ten there is the Shechina [Divinity] (Maor VaShemesh. Parashat VaYechi).

When we gather in the ten, we must care about the Kli (vessel) in which the Creator is revealed and not about His revelation itself. Attaining the Creator consists of building a state within ourselves in which He is bound to be revealed, since He fills everything. All we need is the basis upon which He can manifest, nothing more.

For example, in the blackness of outer space there appears to be no light. But if you place some barrier there, you see that the entire space is flooded with light, because now the light has something to strike against, something from which to reflect. So it is in our state: we must ask for the creation of the Kli (vessel), not for the revelation of the Creator.

We must pay attention to this, because then we will be more precisely directed toward what is required of us, what depends on us, and what we must accomplish, and the Creator will be revealed immediately, automatically. This is a law of nature.

To the extent that we create suitable conditions for His revelation, the property of the Creator will manifest according to the law of equivalence of form. That is, if together with the friends I create a mutual property of bestowal, then by this we create the condition for the revelation of the Creator within us, between us

The essence of the assembly is for everyone to be in one unity and for all to seek but one purpose: to find the Creator. In every ten there is the Shechina [Divinity]. Clearly, if there are more than ten then there is more revelation of the Shechina…

“More” is incorrect. HaVaYaH includes no more than ten. It is simply divided into fractional, particular tens. By “increase” a numerical quantity is not meant, but the power of unity.

It is very important to know that any ten ascends upward only through ever-stronger unity. Our dream, our goal, is to be in a complete ten, one that truly consists of ten individuals, which constantly develops and thus rises higher and higher.
[252656]
From the International Kabbalah Convention 9/5/19, Moldova, Lesson 0

Related Material:
How Can We Get To Know The Creator?
Reality Is Created By Actions
How To See The Creator Through This World

Filed under: Conventions, Events, Group Work, Spiritual Work, The Tens - No Comments →